Sidewall spacers are used in the fabrication of complementary Metal Oxide (CMOS) transistors in order to self-align implantation source/drains and metal silicide contacts. By providing a bilaterally symmetric offset from the edge of the gate, through a sidewall spacer, one can achieve symmetric source and drain implant profiles. Also simultaneous metallization of the gate, source and drain while the extension region remains protected by the dielectric spacer. However, sidewall spacers do not serve any functional role after formation of the source/drains and metal silicide contacts and they are increasingly viewed as undesirable vestigial features that may adversely effect further fabrication. Accordingly, there exists a need in the art for a spacer removal process.